Ray Widstrand smiles as he talks about his recovery and future plans during an interview at Regions Hospital, November 25, 2013. With him are his father, Peter, left, and sister Alice. (Pioneer Press: Chris Polydoroff)

In a video shown to a jury Thursday morning, Cindarion Butler is seen entering a Route 64 Metro Transit bus just before midnight Aug. 4 on St. Paul’s East Side. He sits in a side seat toward the rear with his back against the window.

Two girls who boarded the bus at the same time sit near Butler.

“You was fighting with them,” a girl in a white T-shirt says. “You got blood and s–t on your shoes.”

The second girl chimes in. “Yeah, that’s blood,” she says.

Prosecutors showed the videorecording to the jury in the trial of Butler, 17, who was charged with four felony counts in connection with the beating of Ray Widstrand. Widstrand, then 26, suffered a near-fatal brain injury from which he struggles to recuperate.

About 11:30 that night, he had walked into a group of about 40 to 50 teenagers and young people gathered in the street after a house party in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood. Gang members were present, the prosecution said.

Three pairs of girls began fighting as the crowd watched, according to witnesses. A photo revealed Thursday of a man believed to be Widstrand shows him reaching down toward a girl who had fallen on the pavement. At some point, a teenage boy allegedly hit him in the head and others began stomping on him. Some went through his pockets for valuables.

Prosecutor David Miller asked the Ramsey County sheriff’s deputy who examined the bus video whether Butler responded to the girls’ comments about his shoes.

“I believe Cindarion says the f-word,” Deputy Jacob French said.

It was unclear in a courtroom presentation of the video whether Butler did utter the expletive. Defense attorney Christopher Zipko asked French whether the word was part of the transcript shown to the jury; French said it wasn’t.

But the mere presence of blood — which tests proved was Widstrand’s — is a piece of evidence that the state did not have against another defendant. Issac Maiden, 19, was acquitted in November after a trial filled with conflicting testimony from subpoenaed witnesses. He was the only adult charged in the beating. Another juvenile pleaded guilty.

Butler’s attorney said the blood on his shoes may indicate nothing more than his presence near the assault.

Sgt. Sheila Lambie testified that police collected evidence about who was involved in the beating by speaking with witnesses and others. One of those identified as a possible suspect early on was Butler, she said.

Officer Timothy Moore testified that he went to Butler’s home in the 700 block of Livingston Avenue in St. Paul on Aug. 8 to bring him in for questioning. After knocking several times, Butler’s mother looked out a third-story window and said she would bring him to headquarters.

At about the same time, another officer was at the back of the house. Officer Darryl Boerger told the jury that he heard the sounds of a window sliding and a screen ripping. It was Butler at a second-floor window, trying to climb out, he said.

Widstrand’s sister Alice testified about his injuries. She said it was two weeks before family detected eye movement, a month and a week before her brother managed to say a word. He suffered a recent setback when doctors tried to replace a bone piece that was removed early on to relieve pressure on his brain. An infection forced surgeons to remove the bone again.

Miller asked her to describe Widstrand’s current condition.

“It’s pretty bad right now,” she said, referring to his state of mind since the unsuccessful surgery.

Butler faces four charges: first-degree assault, first-degree assault committed for the benefit of a gang, first-degree aggravated robbery and first-degree aggravated robbery committed for the benefit of a gang.

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